The Diyarbakır (Amed) Branch of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) held a statement in front of the Diyarbakir Courthouse. During the statement, a banner reading “Kurdish must become an official language and the language of education” (“Dîvê zımanê kurdî bibe zimane fermî û perwerdeyê”) was displayed. Lawyers, as well as representatives of political parties and civil society organizations, took part in the action. The statement in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish was delivered by Gülbahar Ateş, Co-Spokesperson of the ÖHD Diyarbakir Branch Language Commission, while the statement in the Kirmanckî dialect was delivered by the other Co-Spokesperson, Mehmet Emin Gökdemir.
The statement said: “All languages are fundamental values of humanity and have equal rights. The Kurdish language is a fundamental value of humanity and one of the core foundations of Kurdish existence. Therefore, denying, banning, suppressing, besieging, restricting, and attempting to eliminate and eradicate the Kurdish language through various means, methods, and instruments constitutes one of the gravest crimes committed against humanity. For this reason, the Kurdish language must be officially recognized by all official and international institutions and organizations, foremost among them the state of Turkey, and its use must be free and unrestricted in all areas of social and public life. Kurdish is not only a means of daily communication, but also a vital value that carries a people’s emotional world, intellectual production, and collective memory. The recognition and protection of language in the public sphere is a requirement of cultural pluralism, democratic social order, and human rights.
As is known, February 21 was designated as International Mother Language Day in 1999 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote cultural diversity and multilingualism, and the right to one’s mother tongue and to education in one’s mother tongue was affirmed. The principle that all languages in the world enjoy equal rights before the law must also apply to Kurdish.
On this basis, within the framework of the current developing process in Turkey, more than 2,000 lawyers have signed and voiced the necessity of legally ensuring and protecting the following demands, which were launched by the ÖHD on August 15, 2025, and which are open to the signature of all lawyers in Turkey:
1. The Kurdish language must be officially recognized and granted legal status.
2. Kurdish must be the language of education from preschool through university.
3. All legal and de facto obstacles to the use of Kurdish must be removed, and the necessary legal and constitutional steps to ensure the free and unrestricted use of Kurdish must be taken by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) without delay.
As the lawyers whose signatures appear under this text, we call on parliament to urgently undertake the necessary work and legal arrangements so that Kurdish gains official status and becomes a language of education, taking the demands outlined above into account.”
Sirnak (Şirnex)
ÖHD Sirnak Branch held a statement in front of the Cizre Courthouse. In addition to association members, many lawyers took part in the action. The statement was delivered by ÖHD member Cihet İneç, during which a banner reading “Kurdish must become an official language and the language of education” (“Divê zimanê kurdî bibe zimanê fermî û perwerdeyê”) was displayed. After the statement, petitions calling for Kurdish to become an official language, and the language of education were sent by cargo to the Speaker of Parliament.
Batman (Êlih)
ÖHD Batman Branch held a statement in front of the Batman Courthouse. The statement was delivered by ÖHD member Kenan Bilben, as a banner reading “Kurdish must become an official language and the language of education” (“Divê zimanê kurdî bibe zimanê fermî û perwerdehiyeyê”) was displayed. The statement ended with applause.
Urfa (Riha)
ÖHD Urfa Branch held a statement in front of the Urfa Courthouse. Representatives of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) provincial and district organizations also took part. The statement was delivered by Ayşe Şehriban Demirel, a member of the ÖHD Central Executive Board. After the statement, the crowd sent petitions containing their demands to parliament.
Mardin (Mêrdîn)
ÖHD Mardin Branch held a statement in front of the Mardin Courthouse. The statement was delivered by Dilan Koç, a member of the ÖHD Mardin Branch. The action ended with applause.
Mersin
ÖHD Mersin Branch held a statement in front of the Mersin Courthouse. Representatives of civil society organizations in the city voiced their support for the action. The statement in Turkish was delivered by branch Co-Chair and lawyer Melek Şaraldı, while the statement in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish was delivered by lawyer Lokman Şaman, and the statement in the Kirmanckî dialect was delivered by lawyer Mehmet Altuntaş. The action ended with applause.
Ankara
ÖHD Ankara Branch held a statement in front of the Ankara Courthouse, attended by many lawyers. The statement in Kurdish was delivered by Fatma Sürücü, a member of the ÖHD Ankara Branch executive board.
Fatma Sürücü said that more than 2,000 lawyers have signed the campaign launched to demand that Kurdish be granted official status, recognized as a language of education from preschool onward, and that legal and de facto obstacles be removed, calling on parliament to take steps in this direction.
The action ended with slogans of “There is no life without language” (“Bê ziman jiyan na be”) and applause. After the statement, the lawyers sent the letter prepared to be delivered to the PTT.
Istanbul
ÖHD Istanbul Branch held a press statement in front of the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on the occasion of February 21, International Mother Language Day. Many lawyers took part in the action. The statement in Kurdish was delivered by Ali Diler, a member of the ÖHD Language and Culture Commission, while the statement in Turkish was delivered by ÖHD member Berivan Barin.
Izmir
ÖHD Izmir Branch held a statement in front of the Izmir Courthouse. Political parties and institutions in the city also voiced their support for the action. The statement in Turkish was delivered by Mehmet Selahattin Timur, a member of the Izmir Branch executive board, while the statement in Kurdish was delivered by association member Abdülmecit Yıldırım. The action ended with applause.
Van (Wan)
ÖHD Van Branch held a statement in front of the Van Bar Association. ÖHD lawyers, the Van Bar Association, and members of the Association for Legal Research and Education (DADSAZ – Komeleya Vekolîn û Perwerdeya Hiqûqê) took part. The statement was delivered in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish by Zinar Kef and in the Kirdkî/Kirmanckî dialect by Leyla Kaplan Kertiş.
Hakkari (Colemêrg)
ÖHD Hakkari Branch held a statement at its building in Yüksekova (Gever). The statement was delivered by Abdullah Aktaş, Co-Chair of the ÖHD Hakkari Branch.
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